


Eye of the Tiger

by magnusbicon



Series: tumblr prompts [40]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Carnival, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-09-05 05:22:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16804447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magnusbicon/pseuds/magnusbicon
Summary: “Thisis what mundanes do for fun? Do they all have a death wish?”Magnus laughs at that, moving closer and resting his head on Alec’s shoulder for a moment.“You’ll understand when you experience it for yourself. You might think fighting demons for a living is a rush, but just wait until you get on the twister.” He points to a ride towards the very back, and Alec feels a little sick as he watches it rise in the air and start spinning the people around.





	Eye of the Tiger

**Author's Note:**

> Happy December, y'all! :•)

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Alec asks, warily taking in the large mass of people surrounding them as they approach the ticket booth. He’s never been to one of these things before, but Magnus insists that it’s one of the most basic requirements for a date in the mundane world, and he can’t refuse the enthusiastic expression on his boyfriend’s face. 

“You’ll be fine,” Magnus says- for the fifth time since he suggested the idea- with an exaggerated eye roll. He reaches over to intertwine their fingers and Alec lets out a long breath, dropping his shoulders in an attempt to relax. 

He really has nothing to worry about. His runes are glamoured and he has the night off. Just because he’s never done this before doesn’t mean that it’s bad. If there’s one thing he’s learned in the past year it’s that change isn’t just good for him, it’s necessary. He grew up being taught the same things day in and day out. The same skills, the same beliefs, the same behaviors, and it didn’t leave much room for independent thought. He needs to step out of his comfort zone sometimes in order to appreciate and try to understand other circumstances and perspectives. 

“Sorry,” he mumbles sincerely, squeezing Magnus’ hand. “I’m just tense.”

Magnus bumps their shoulders together, a tiny, intimate smile gracing his lips as he looks over for a moment. “You know I’m always happy to relieve your stress, Alexander. Whatever it takes.”

The suggestive nature of the statement is impossible to miss, but his tone and the way his eyes shine in the dim carnival lighting softens it. Alec shakes his head, letting a small grin spread across his face as he looks forward. 

The line to buy tickets isn’t too long, but he suddenly feels restless, like an entirely different world lies beyond this line. He can hear people screaming in the distance, which would normally alert him, but he also hears laughter and music and happy chatter. It’s an atmosphere that contrasts greatly with the Institute, where everything is always professional and to the point. 

This feels different. It feels warm. 

Magnus takes the lead when they reach the front of the line, handing over a significant amount of cash and receiving a big roll of tickets in return. Alec stares at the small orange pieces of paper dubiously as they move toward the attractions, wondering what the point of trading money for tickets is.

“I’ve never looked into it,” Magnus says, as though he read Alec’s mind, “but I have a feeling they don’t trust the ride operators to not keep the money for themselves, so they make us buy tickets.” 

Alec means to reply, but instead he tilts his head back and looks out at the rides, his mouth falling open in disbelief as he sees what looks like a tiny ship swinging back and forth on a metal pole, a big tower slowly bringing people up to the very top and then dropping them suddenly, and more things that spin than he can even comprehend. 

“ _This_ is what mundanes do for fun? Do they all have a death wish?” 

Magnus laughs at that, moving closer and resting his head on Alec’s shoulder for a moment.

“You’ll understand when you experience it for yourself. You might think fighting demons for a living is a rush, but just wait until you get on the twister.” He points to a ride towards the very back, and Alec feels a little sick as he watches it rise in the air and start spinning the people around. 

“Oh god,” he mutters under his breath as Magnus straightens and pulls him further into the mix of people.

⎈⎈⎈⎈⎈

"Is this supposed to be hard?” Alec laughs out hours later, eyeing the expanse of bottles in front of them. All he has to do is get a ring around the neck of one of them and he wins. 

“Less talking, more showing,” Magnus challenges, raising an amused eyebrow. Alec’s eyes narrow at the smug expression on his boyfriend’s face and he turns back to the task at hand, cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders. 

“I got this.” He doesn’t know whether he’s saying it to himself or Magnus.

He zeroes in on one of the bottles, takes a deep breath, and throws. 

And misses. 

“ _What_?” He asks incredulously, shooting Magnus a glare when he hears his muffled laughter. “I still have two more tries.”

He throws and misses again, and shakes his head. He _will_ win this game.

He blocks out the chaos of the carnival and focuses completely, honing in all of his senses. 

_Slow breath in_.

Throw. 

_Slow breath out_. 

The ring spins around the neck of a bottle, then settles. 

Alec throws his hands into the air in triumph, a wide smile spreading across his face as he meets Magnus’ eyes. His boyfriend is staring back at him in clear amusement, but it doesn’t dampen his glee. He never expected to feel so proud of beating a simple mundane game, but he must admit that it’s exhilarating. 

“Pick a toy,” the worker says, his tone bored as he watches Alec’s reaction.

Alec stares up at the stuffed animals, immediately lost. He’s only had one stuffed animal in his life- a small, brown dog that he had found abandoned on the sidewalk while he was out training in the city- and it had lasted for about two weeks before his father found it and scolded him for getting attached to something so insignificant. 

“How about the tiger?” Magnus suggests, moving up beside him and gently wrapping his fingers around his arm. 

Alec nods, and the carnival worker hands it over, muttering out a, “Have a nice night,” as they go.

The sky is dark but clear, and Alec stares up at it for a moment, appreciating the glow of the moon. It’s so serene in comparison to the bright lights of the carnival, and he finds himself craving that kind of quiet once more. 

“What do you say we call it a night?” Magnus suggests, his eyes sweeping over Alec’s face knowingly. 

Alec twines their fingers together and meets his soft gaze. 

“Let’s go.”

⎈⎈⎈⎈⎈

They set the tiger on the right side of the bed that night, and Alec wastes no time in using the lack of space as an excuse to curl closer against Magnus’ chest. 


End file.
